Power Beyond: The Kingdom Crumbles
by Mark536
Summary: The power of the Keyblade has been made obsolete. Sora Must now rise to a new challenge if he is to prevent an impending doom that hangs over all worlds. I don't own Kingdom Hearts and all of that other jazz.
1. Chapter 1

"What have you done?" a hollowed voice cried out from the darkness.

"What do you mean?" Sora called out.

"The truth!" the mysterious voice bellowed back.

"I don't understand." pleaded Sora.

"All you know will be undone…"

Chapter 1: Paradise Lost

Sora wearily opened his eyes as he stirred on the sandy beach. The sound of the waves rushing up the shoreline with the smell of the salty ocean air comforted him as he awoke from his dream. He gazed up at the gray sky as the wind began to howl and the sound of thunder rumbled out in the distance. Sora clasped his hands together and slipped them behind his head and reclined back on to the soft warm sand. His eyes darted back and forth across the dreary sky while he pondered his dream.

"All I know…" he whispered to himself.

Sora shook off the dream as he closed his eyes and began to think of everything that he had been through. Another year had gone bye since he returned home with his friends. With all of the terrible memories of the struggles he had endured, he could not help but smile as the thoughts of all the friends he had made and people he had helped crept into his mind. He had never been happier in his life. He had done so many amazing things and gained so much strength from his journeys. The best part of all was that the two people he kept so close to his heart were with him again; safe and sound.

"Some things never change, do they?" sighed a sweet familiar voice.

Sora looked up to see two deep blues eyes staring directly into his. Sora flipped around on his stomach and rested his chin on his fists while he looked Kairi over lovingly. As the wind blew her reddish-brown hair over her eyes she pushed it aside and just smiled at Sora.

"I was just thinking about you." Sora said with a little smirk.

"Is that so?" Kairi said with a smirk of her own. "What exactly were you thinking about me?

Sora rolled back over into his resting position, acting as if he did not hear Kairi's question. Kairi sat beside Sora waiting for an answer.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"Well…" Sora said hesitantly. "If you must know…"

"I must." Kairi said with a smile.

"I was just thinking how lucky you are to have someone like me."

Kairi rolled her eyes and gave Sora a friendly shove as she lay down beside him. The two laughed and stared off into the gray sky together. The wind and the ocean remained relatively calm despite the looming storm in the distance. Kairi rolled on to her side and just stared at Sora. She too still felt overjoyed to be home with him and all of their friends. Though she never said it, she was impressed with how much Sora had changed.

"I think we should go home." Said Kairi. "That storm will be here soon."

Just then, a slight down pour began to fall. Sora and Kairi sprung up in reaction to the rain.

"I don't want to take the boat home in the rain." Sora said in an annoyed tone.

"The cave." Kairi pointed to the old cave they played in when they were younger. "We can wait there until the rain stops."

The two dashed off into the cave. Though they still hung out on the little island they had never really gone back into the cave since returning home. Sora and Kairi both looked around, exploring their old hangout filled with many memories. The cave was dark and damp because of the rain falling through the hole in the ceiling. Even though water was falling through, the cave was still big enough to keep them both dry. Light was also visible through the ceiling but was dim because of the over cast.

"There's not much light in here." Said Kairi.

The two both curled up together and sat quietly, just appreciating the fact that they were both there at that moment with each other. The sound of rain falling on the outside of the cave and the rumbling of the thunder echoed through the enclosed space.

"It's been awhile huh?" said Sora.

"It sure has." Kairi replied.

"So what did you come here for?" asked Sora.

"To find you."

"Why?"

"I don't know." She said with a slight laugh. "I just felt like I had to find you."

Sora suddenly found himself being glad it was dark because he did not want Kairi to see him blushing.

"So… where's Riku?" Sora asked trying to pass the time.

"He was with Wakka and Selphie earlier."

"Oh, what were they doing?"

"Not sure."

The cave grew darker as the clouds darkened from the oncoming storm. The rain seemed to be falling harder than before.

"Maybe we should just go ahead and try to get home before this storm gets any worse." Sora said with a bit of concern in his voice.

"I don't know if we can." Kairi replied.

The two walked to the mouth of the cave and peered out into the open. The sky was nearly black now and the ocean was barely visible through all of the heavy rain.

"Okay I think we have a bit of a situation now." Sora remarked.

"This is so weird…" Kairi said as she trailed off.

"What?" asked Sora.

"The way the storm came out of no where." Kairi explained. "Since I've lived here I can't remember a time where there wasn't a clear warning sign that a storm was coming."

Sora thought about it for a second. "You know… I think… you may be right about that."

Kairi continued. "I can always recall a time where the wind got violent or the ocean waves got choppier, but this time it just quietly blew in."

"That is pretty weird for a storm this size."

The two watched the hectic storm when suddenly an enormous flash of lightning danced across the sky. The two took cover back inside the cave.

"Whoa…" whispered Sora.

Sora turned to find Kairi. As he turned to her he could see her head turned to the back of the cave. She froze where she stood and looked as if she were concentrating on something.

"Do you hear that?" Kairi asked quietly.

Sora began to creep back down into the cave with Kairi following close behind.

"What is that?" Sora whispered in confusion.

As they got closer to the back of the cave a low grumbling sound could be heard. The cave was completely dark now. The two could not see anything around them.

"Sora?" Kairi whispered as she searched the darkness.

"Shhh…"

Sora continued to fallow the sound to the very back of the cave until he bumped into the wall. He began to feel the surface in front of him in an attempt to get his bearings.

"Is this…?"

Sora patted around the wooden frame as he realized what he was touching.

"…the door?"

As Sora spoke the grumbling grew louder. Sora just stood in silence trying to asses the situation. The door began to vibrate to Sora's amazement. He took a step back as the grumbling turned to a loud methodical banging. Suddenly the door erupted in a loud explosion throwing Sora and Kairi to the floor. An eerie dim red light began to radiate from where the door used to stand. As the light filled the room Sora and Kairi picked them selves up, trying to grasp what was going on.

"What's happening!?" exclaimed Sora.

Another bright flash emitted from the door. When the light dimmed back down a towering figure in a familiar black hood and robe was standing in the middle of the cave. Both Kairi and Sora looked on in confusion.

"What the…"

Before Sora could do anything the figure lurched at him and struck him. Sora fell back from the force of the blow.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed.

The Hooded person instantly dashed over to Kairi. With an open hand he struck her over the mouth driving and pinning her head against the wall. The force of the blow knocked her out. The hooded person held her in place as he turned his attention to Sora.

"Kairi!" Sora yelled.

Sora raised his hand to the figure and casted the Thundaga spell. A bolt of lighting crashed down from the cave ceiling. To Sora's suprise, the stranger raised his hand and blocked the spell with no real effort. He then snapped his fingers. Instantly strange black creatures marched out of the door and took hold of Kairi.

"Heartless." Sora growled.

Sora darted towards the creatures but was blocked by the mysterious person. Sora jumped back in surprise at the person's speed. Sora raised his hand in desperation and casted the Firaga spell. Fire blasted from Sora's hand, but again, the stranger blocked his attack with ease.

"Foolish." Grunted the stranger in a deep voice.

As he spoke he readied himself in a fighting stance. Sora did the same. In the blink of an eye the stranger had moved into position to strike Sora. Sora attempted to dodge but was unable to match the speed of his adversary. The stranger's fist drove up into Sora stomach with the force of the punch lifting him off the ground. Sora let out a groan of pain as he dropped to the floor. As soon as Sora had been able to gather himself the stranger kicked him across the room. Sora ached with pain as blood ran down from his mouth. As he lay on the floor, Sora stretched out his hand.

"Okay…" Sora gasped. "Time to get serious."

Sora extended his hand out and in a white flash of light, his Keyblade appeared. He quickly jumped to his feet and sprinted to the stranger. As Sora raised his blade to strike, the stranger blocked the blade with his forearm then struck Sora with a cross kick sending him and his blade to opposite ends of the cave. Sora, in even more pain, began to crawl to his weapon. As he reached out to grab it his wrist was stomped on by the hooded stranger.

"Ahhhh!" Sora moaned.

The Keyblade disappeared in another flash of white light. Sora struggled to get free but this only made the stranger push down even harder with his foot.

"Foolish." The stranger said mockingly. "Your time is almost up Sora."

"You…" Sora moaned. "You can't be here, the Organization's gone…"

"The Organization?" the stranger laughed. "I…This goes beyond anything the pitiful Organization XIII could concoct!"

"Who are you?" choked out Sora.

"It's really of no concern to you at this point."

"Kairi…"

"Ah yes… Kairi." The stranger said as he removed his foot from Sora's wrist. "Though you are no longer of any relevance, her work has yet to begin."

"What are you talking about?"

"As I said, it is none of your concern."

The heartless carried Kairi through the door and vanished. As they disappeared the strange man began to fallow behind them. He stopped in the doorway and turned back to Sora.

"The time of the Keyblade wielder has come and gone, there is greater power that needs my attention." He laughed as he turned back to the door. "All that you know will be undone."

The mysterious man then walked through the door and vanished. The red light faded and Sora was left alone, battered and beaten.

"K…Kairi…" Sora struggeled to move but was too weak. "Not again, not again…"

Sora continued to repeat this until he blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Sora's eyes scanned the darkness, but he could not see anything. He tried to move but could not. There was nothing but darkness around him and a deafening silence.

"The truth!" a voice boomed.

"What?" Sora murmured.

"She will not survive this."

"I don't understand." Sora snapped back.

"What lies beyond the realm of the heart?"

Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End

"Sora!"

Sora stirred as he began to lift himself up off the ground. His body was still in a tremendous amount of pain from the battle. As Sora slowly rose to his feet he could see a familiar friend standing over him looking on with concern.

"Sora!" Riku said frantically. "Are you okay?"

"Kairi…" Sora winced out in exhaustion.

"Where's Kairi?" Riku asked anxiously.

Riku scanned the room as Sora continued to struggle to stay on his feet. There was debris all over the sandy floor of the cave. Riku examined the hole in the wall where the door used to be.

"What happened here Sora?" Riku questioned.

As Sora struggled to keep his balance, his legs finally gave way to exhaustion and he collapsed back on to the floor. Riku immediately rushed to his side. Sora again tried to pick his battered body back up. This time Riku took hold of his arm and draped it around his neck and helped Sora back up to his feet.

"Just lean on me Sora."

Riku began to lead Sora out of the cave. As they emerged from the mouth, Sora could see that the sky had returned to its vibrant blue state and the ocean was once again calm. The salty ocean breeze swept away the musty smell of the cave as the two made there way onto the beach. Riku helped Sora towards the shoreline where they were greeted by two more familiar friends. One was a slender young woman with green eyes and shoulder length amber colored hair that curled upward at the ends. The other was a tall, muscular young man with red hair.

"Oh my Goodness, is he okay?" Selphie asked in a panic at the sight of a battered Sora.

"I think he'll be okay." Riku replied. "But we better get him home."

"Looks like you had a rough night 'ah?" Wakka said with a smirk.

Riku gently sat Sora in the boat as Wakka and Selphie piled in with them and together they made there way home across the sparkling blue water.

* * *

Kairi wearily opened her eyes. She felt cold and her head ached as she tried to remember what had happened to her. She looked around but could not make out anything in the eerie darkness that surrounded her. She struggled to move but quickly gave up when she realized that she was being restrained. Suddenly a pale light fell over her from above. Kairi could now see that she was being held in place on a table by metal restraints around her wrists and ankles.

"I wouldn't try to do too much more struggling."

Kairi, startled by the voice, frantically looked around trying to catch a glimpse of her captors.

"Who's there?" Kairi cried out.

A man stepped out from the darkness and into the pale light. He was standing in a long black hood and robe. Kairi quickly realized that he was the man who had attacked her and Sora back at the cave.

"Who are you?" Kairi demanded. "Where am I?"

The man removed his hood revealing his face. He had long flowing silver hair and his eyes were an almost most perfect emerald green. His face was covered with multiple scars that appeared to be given to him by the blade of a sword.

"You!" Kairi yelled in anger. "What did you do to Sora!?"

Kairi once again began to struggle with her restraints until she suddenly felt weak. Her chest felt heavy and she began to have trouble breathing.

"I told you not to struggle." Said the man. "You need to save your strength."

"What?" Kairi gasped.

"The procedure usually takes a lot out of people."

"What did you do to me?" Kairi said as she continued to try and catch her breath.

"Your power hasn't grown enough for what we need at the moment." The man paced back and forth as he explained. "We don't have much time, so we need to speed up the process to fully awaken your abilities."

"What are you talking… what power?" Kairi said in confusion.

"Don't you know Kairi?" the man snickered. "Don't you remember?"

Kairi finally began to breath comfortably again. She started to think about what he was referring to but only drew a blank.

"It's okay Kairi. We really didn't expect you to remember. Infact, we're fairly certain that that part of your memorie was completely erased from existence anyway."

Kairi just stared at he man in confusion. She was completely clueless to what was going on. As he moved in closer and leaned in towards her face, her heart was gripped with fear. She could feel his breath on her cheek as he spoke.

"Why I'm sure you can't even really recall what your life was like before you and your grandmother moved into your little neighborhood with your two friends and your little island."

Kairi locked up with fear because she knew she really couldn't recall much about her life before she met Sora and Riku but never knew why.

"How do you know that?" Kairi asked in panic. "Who are you?

"Call me Xoren." He replied. "And I advise you to get comfortable Princess; you'll be here for awhile."

As Xoren walked away the light faded away leaving Kairi alone in the dark once again. Her eyes filled up with tears. She could not understand why but something about her mysterious past filled her with fear. Mean while, Xoren entered a control room, filled from wall to wall with computer monitors and circuit boards. Lights from the machines flickered on and off as they did their work. Sitting in front of the monitors was an elderly bald man with a white beard. He turned to Xoren as he stared at him inquisitively with his fiery-red eyes.

"How is she?" the old man asked.

"She is fine as far as I can tell." Xoren replied. "Not many people could handle something like this."

"Well you know she is not like other people."

The old man turned back to the monitor. "Soon her power will be realized and we will be able to achieve our goal."

"Can we control her Master?"

"As long as we keep the vessel it can be done. We control the vessel; we control the power." The Old man laughed. "You just let me deal with it."

"Yes Master." Xoren nodded

"What is the progress of our forces?"

"Our armies have infiltrated several worlds unnoticed; they are awaiting further instruction." Xoren replied.

"With the power we have taken from the heartless and infused into our soldiers, we will be unstoppable."

"How fortunate are we to have captured Kairi with ease." Xoren remarked.

The old man turned back to Xoren with a grin on his face. "I told you that our power is beyond the Key bearer's."

"I gathered as much from our battle."

"The warriors that wield the power of the Keyblade do not have experience such as ours." The old man laughed again. "Foolish Xemnas, harnessing the power of Kingdom Hearts was only the beginning; he never realized the big picture."

"He never looked beyond." Xoren fallowed up.

"Yes…" the old man agreed. "How fortunate for us that Kairi was made one of the Seven Princess of heart; the most important one, thanks to one of the current Key bearers."

The old man arose from his chair and began to pace back and forth. He stroked his beard as an even bigger smile spread across his face.

"Thanks to that delightful bonus, we can tap further into the realm of the Heartless and draw even more power to further support our efforts."

"And soon we will awaken her abilities and achieve what we have struggled to obtain for centuries." Xoren growled.

"We will be unstoppable."

"What of a resistance?" Xoren asked. "Our armies are great but is there a way for them to try and stop us?"

"As I said before, our skills our greater than the Keyblade warriors." The old man responded. "Kingdom Hearts can no longer be sealed away from us; they have no significant power anymore." The old man's eyes flared up. "Im sure that the two of us and our revamped armies will be more than a match for any kind of resistance."

Xoren paused then turned back towards the exit. "I must continue with Kairi Master, she has a long road ahead of her."

Xorenn stepped into the doorway before the old man stopped him.

"Xoren."

"Yes Master?"

"Give the armies the order to advance and attack."

"Yes Master."


	3. Chapter 3

Sora found himself back in the familiar darkness. He began to search around trying to find anything in the endless space, but could find nothing. His patients was wearing thin until he caught a glimpse of something in the distance. He turned in the direction of a dim light. The light seemed to call out to him as it flickered in the dark abyss.

"What is that?" Sora whispered to himself.

He proceeded towards the light. As he got closer it seemed to cast him into a trans. Further and further he walked; his sight fixed on the light. As he continued, he could hear what seemed to be multiple people whispering to each other. Suddenly a voice boomed out over all of the whispering.

"She will not survive this."

Sora, puzzled at this, fought off the urge to ask who. Instead, he simply asked, "Why?"

"A life has to be given… and since it rests with her…"

"What rests with her?"

"The Dyoxis…"

Chapter 3: Plan of Action

Sora hesitantly opened his eyes as he felt the bright sunlight beat down on his face. A gentle breeze cooled him as he tried to figure out exactly where he was. He discovered he was lying out on a lounge chair on a patio deck, surrounded by additional furniture. As he looked around, he could see the ocean and hear the waves crashing against the shore in the distance. He sat up to get a better look at the surrounding area. After about second, he realized that he was at his friend Tidus's house. His body was still sore from head to toe. He tried to stand up but winced with pain, forcing him to quickly sit back down. Sora relaxed his body back into the chair as he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Selphie and Riku appeared by his side. Sora could see a deep concern was written all over Selphie's face as she tended to his injuries.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked as she wiped the dry blood from his cheek.

"I think I can honestly say I've been better." Sora replied.

"What happened to you? And where's Kairi?"

"She…"

"Uh, Selphie… could you go see if Tidus has any bandage wraps for Sora?" Riku quickly interrupted.

"Umm… sure." Selphie replied with a slightly confused look on her face.

She walked back into the house calling for Tidus. Riku watched her disappear back into the house before he turned back to Sora. A serious look spread over his face as he spoke.

"What happened?" Riku asked sternly.

"He took her." Sora snapped back. "A man in a black hood; he had heartless with him."

"But... that sounds like..."

"No." answered Sora as he rubbed his sore ribs. "I know what you're thinking, and he is not with Organization XIII."

Sora explained the encounter with the man in the cave. He told Riku how he and Kairi had taken cover in the cave to avoid the strange storm, and how the man had come through the door. He then described his battle with the man and how he was defeated with ease. The expression on Riku's face grew grim. He looked down and began to process the story Sora had told him.

"So he could use the Heartless?" Riku asked aloud. "And how could he come through the door?"

"I don't know but whoever he was, he was stronger and faster than anyone or anything I've ever seen."

"But I thought the doorways were closed."

"You know as well as I do that they can be opened again."

"What does he want with Kairi?"

"I don't know." Sora paused for a second as he thought about the incident. "He said something about the time of the Key bearer being over and that Kairi still had a role to play."

"What role?"

"I don't know, he just said that everything I know will be undone." Sora said as he sat up slowly. "We need to go after her now Riku."

Riku's eyes seemed to fill with anger and urgency. He halted his questioning when Selphie emerged from the house with Wakka and Tidus fallowing behind. She approached Sora with the bandages when Riku quickly snatched them from her hand.

"Hey!" Selphie exclaimed in annoyance.

Riku stuck the bandages in his pocket then sat next to Sora, placed his arm around his neck and helped him to his feet.

"I'm going to go ahead and get Sora home." Riku said trying to rush.

"What? Why? Can he even walk?" Selphie asked, more confused than before.

"Of course." Riku said as he began to move Sora.

Sora let out a small gasp of pain. "Uhhh…I'm not as hurt as I seem, really."

"But…" said Selphie before being cut off again.

"Don't worry I'll get him home and wrap him up, good as new." Riku quickly answered back trying to get away as quickly as possible.

"Wait!" Selphie pleaded. "What happened to you in there Sora? Where's Kairi?"

As they began to walk off Sora called back. "Nothing happened; just fell is all!"

"And we're going to get Kairi right now." Riku added.

"What!?" Selphie shouted back, this time in total confusion.

The three watched as Sora and Riku disappeared down the road. They all just looked at each other as they tried to figure out what was going on with their friends.

"What's up with them?" Tidus asked as he flicked back his blonde hair.

"No clue." Wakka answered back.

"Well something serious happened. You think we should tell someone?" wondered Selphie.

"I don't know." Said Tidus.

Sora and Riku continued down the road as they made their way back through the neighborhood towards their homes.

"So what's the plan?" questioned Sora. What are we going to do now?"

Riku stared at the ground as he thought over the situation. He had no idea where to begin. As they came to Sora's house, he continued to mull over a plan of action.

"Riku." Sora said with a sigh. "We have to do something now."

Riku, unsure of what to do, just stared out at the sun as it began to set. He pulled the bandages out of his pocket and gave them to Sora.

"Here's what we're going to do." Riku explained. "You're going to get some rest because you can't go anywhere like this."

"But…"

"Then as soon as you wake up, you're going to meet me back on the island in the cave."

"But Riku…"

"Just do it. Okay?"

Sora could tell that Riku was dead serious. He decided to go along with what his friend told him and agreed that he needed to rest up a bit. Sora too watched as the sun went down.

"First thing in the morning?" Sora asked.

"First thing." Confirmed Riku.

As the sun disappeared from sight, Riku headed back towards his home to prepare for tomorrow.

* * *

Sora stepped out of his small boat and onto the soft sandy beach. He looked around the little Island. The sky once again was darkened by an over cast. The wind blew violently as the ocean waves began to rumble angrily. The smell of rain filled the air as Sora headed to the cave entrance. He noticed that Riku's boat was already there so he called out to him as he made his way into the cave.

"I'm here!" Riku called back.

Sora met Riku as he entered the main area of the cave. Riku turned on a small lamp he had brought with him. As it illuminated the area, the two looked around the cave together. The debris from the door was all over the floor as were the footprints of Sora and his attacker. Riku fallowed them as they led up to the door. They both peered inside the hole in the wall. To their suprise, it only went back a couple of feet.

"So what are we going to do Riku?"

Riku continued to examine the hole as he continued to think. Suddenly he jumped back and held out his hand. In a flash of bright light his Keyblade appeared. The blade was dark and resembled the wing of a dragon. The hilt was in the shape of a bird and dragon wing as well. He stood there for a moment as he slowly swung the blade around.

"The Way to Dawn." Whispered Sora.

Riku paused to admire his weapon. It had been a long time since he had to use it. The sight of it caused a flood of old memories to fill his mind. He quickly shook them off and turned to Sora.

"Summon your blade." Riku instructed.

Sora did as Riku did and summoned his Keyblade. He too swung his blade around as he tried to recapture the feel of wielding his weapon.

"We need to open a door to get where we need to go." Riku explained.

"Can we just do that? I mean, I always had to key on something to open or seal a door."

"I know." Riku said as he pointed his blade towards the hole in the wall. "Obviously the doorway is a portal, so we'll focus on _it_."

Sora pointed his blade towards the hole with Riku.

"Focus." said Riku.

The too held their swords with the tip pointing towards the hole in the cave wall.

"More..." Riku whispered.

As soon as Riku said that, sparks of light began to flicker from the end of the blades. The light soon grew into a ball that became brighter and brighter as the two concentrated. As the ball of light increased in size, it seemed to grow more and more unstable until it burst into an intense beam that shot into the hole. Suddenly, the eerie red glow Sora had seen before, began to fill the cave. Sora and Riku let out a slight laugh of satisfaction and amazement at the sight of what they had done.

"You ready?" Sora asked.

Riku kept his gaze fixed on the doorway. "Let's not pretend this is going to be easier than it really is, Sora."

Sora just looked at Riku in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Riku explained. "Who ever took Kairi is obviously a very skilled fighter, and has the heartless working under him."

"Yeah, so?"

"So I'm saying this could be very dangerous. We need to stick together no matter what this time."

A smile spread across Sora's face as he turned back towards the doorway.

"We haven't heard from the King, so I don't think there is a major threat concerning the worlds."

"Yet, anyway." Sora added.

"We do our best to avoid confrontation,get Kairi, and come back home together."

"Right." Agreed Sora. "Never thought we'd be doing this again."

The two took a deep breath and proceeded to walk through the doorway. A final flash lit up the cave, and in an instant, they were gone.

* * *

Xoren methodically fingered the keys on the control panel as he continued to tend to Kairi. Her screams could be heard in the next room as Xoren furthered his procedure. The elderly man entered the control room. He studied the computer screen that was monitoring Kairi.

"How is her progress?" He asked.

"She is coming along fine Master. Minus some… discomfort." Answered Xoren.

"This is good news Xoren."

"Yes." Xoren said with a slight grin. "Soon the Dyoxis will be awakened."

"Then I must prepare myself if I am going to hope to control it."

"Once she is finished going through the procedure I will place her into the Stasis Chamber to wait for you Master."

"Ha-ha!" laughed the old man. "We are so close! After all of this time we will have the Dyoxis!"

"Yes." Xoren added. "Finally…"

"See that I am not disturbed during my preparations Xoren."

"Yes Master."

The old man walked off leaving Xoren to continue his work.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Kingdom Come

Sora shook the disorienting feeling from his head as he found himself lying face down in the dirt. Rattled by the transportation through the door, he slowly climbed to his feet, patting off the dust from his clothes. He was unsure of where he was exactly. Nothing looked familiar to him. As he scanned his surroundings, he gazed up at a dark orange sky and assumed that it must be sunset wherever he was. The landscape was rough and mountainous, with the dry smell of dust and smoke drifting through the air. The sound of thunder could be heard rumbling continuously in the distance. After a second, it dawned on Sora that Riku was no where to be seen. He wondered if Riku had landed in the same place as he began to search frantically.

"Sora!" Riku's voice suddenly called out.

"Where are you!?" Sora shouted back.

"Over here!"

Sora dashed off in the direction of a nearby cliff as he followed the sound of Riku's voice. He found his friend standing on top of a large rock near the edge of the cliff. He too was covered in dust. Sora wondered what he was looking at as Riku stared off into the vast rocky valley below.

"Any idea where we are?" asked Sora.

"No, but do you see that?" asked Riku.

Sora looked out into the valley. "What?"

"That." Riku pointed.

It was very faint, but Sora could see smoke billowing out in the distance. The sound of thunder rumbled through the air once again.

"Is there a storm coming?" Sora said confused.

"I don't think that's thunder." Riku replied.

Riku sharpened his gaze trying to make out exactly what was going on in the valley. Without warning, Sora darted out in front of Riku and jumped to the rocks below.

"Well!?" Sora called back up to Riku. "If we're going to look for Kairi, we might as well start there."

Riku, a bit hesitant, jumped down to the Rocks below with Sora. The two swiftly bounced from rock to rock until they landed gracefully on the ground below. They took a moment to gather themselves.

"Remember Sora, we need to stay close."

"Got it." Sora replied.

Sora knew that if he was going to get Kairi back, He and Riku would have to stay together. The man that had taken her was no slouch. Sora felt determined as the memory of his encounter swirled around in his head. He could feel rage burning inside of him as the image of Kairi being knocked out replayed over and over in his mind. Riku could see the anger building in his friend's eyes. At that moment he could not help but notice something different in Sora. No longer was he a kid trying to keep up. He seemed more mature. Still, he felt concerned with the emotions that he may have been feeling.

"Listen Sora…" Riku said trying to keep things in perspective for his friend. "We don't really know what kind of danger Kairi is in; we need to keep our heads."

Sora's expression remained the same. Without warning, he sprinted off towards the smoke. Riku quickly fallowed after. They raced off, jumping over rocks, maneuvering across the rough terrain as they got closer to the smoke. The air got hazier and the sound of explosions grew louder.

"Riku! Do you see that!?" Sora shouted.

Riku fell in awe as he suddenly realized that he and Sora were fast approaching an enormous battlefield. It was still far off but he could see thousands of people clashing fiercely with each other. Bright flashes illuminated the sky as fire rained down over the area. The ground rumbled as the battle raged on. Another deafening explosion went off. Shrapnel and debris went flying through the air. The sound of people shouting and strange hissing became clearer as the two got even closer.

"You know, maybe running towards a huge fight wasn't the best way to go!" Sora yelled back to Riku.

They both locked their legs up and slid across the ground as they halted their approach. The two looked on as the fight ensued.

"It's a total warzone out here." Riku remarked.

The two decided to take cover behind a large pile of rocks. They watched in silence as the battle continued from a little under 200 yards away.

"Wonder what this is all about?" whispered Sora.

The area was filled with several mechs and tank like vehicles. They laid waste to everything in their path as they stormed through the masses. They all varied in appearance. Most were rusted and already looked battle scared.

"Whoa…" Riku gasped in amazement.

Sora looked in the direction that had caught his friend's attention. He could see that some of the people were actually not people at all. Though, humanoid looking, they had familiar yellow, soulless eyes. The silver armor they wore encased a massive black body. At the center of their foreheads was a crest of a cracked heart.

"Are those… Heartless?" Riku wondered allowed.

"They look a lot different." Sora added.

The creatures moved quickly across the battlefield, pouncing on every person they could find. Screams of horror pierced the air as the odd looking Heartless continued to advance. An explosion sounded as a tank fell to an energy blast. Sora and Riku looked on as several giant black creatures emerged from over the distant mountains. They walked on all fours and had the same yellow eyes as the other creatures. Their heads resembled that of a lizard. They were plated with red armor, and on top of their backs were large metal cannons. As they pressed forward, loud bursts erupted from the cannons. Balls of energy went crashing into more people and tanks. There was nothing but total chaos. In spite of the ferocious attacks being dealt from each side, the two armies marched on.

"I've seen enough of this." Sora growled.

He jumped out from behind their cover, drawing his Keyblade at the same time. The blade appeared in a flash of white light. Sora twirled it as he stood ready to fight.

"Are you crazy!?" Riku said in shock. "You can't just run out in the middle of a war!"

"It wouldn't be the first time." Sora replied. "Besides… It's the job of the Key bearer to stop the Heartless."

"You're insane!" Riku shot back.

A serious look over took Sora's face. "The man that took Kairi used heartless; we find out where these guys are coming from and we find Kairi."

"Sora…"

Suddenly Sora's serious expression turned into a cocky grin.

"Not to mention I could use a little tune-up."

With that, Sora raced off into the heat of the battle. Leaving Riku puzzled.

"Wait!" Riku shouted. "Wouldn't it be easier to stay on the outside of the battle and just trace the source of the Heartless!?"

Riku's question was of no use as Sora was already too far out of range to hear him. Riku sighed as he leaped out and summoned his blade.

"So much for Sora keeping his head... let alone using it."

The sun had finally set, revealing the stars in the night sky as Riku chased after Sora into the battle.

* * *

Kairi wearily struggled with her restraints. She felt groggy but her discomfort kept her from completely blacking out. She could hear metal clanging and feet shuffling around her.

"You're about 83 percent of the way there Kairi." Xoren informed her. "Soon the Dyoxis will be awakened and your full power will be unlocked."

Kairi, too tired to fully comprehend what Xoren was telling her, just groaned as he continued his work.

"Please…" Kairi pleaded. "What are you doing to me?"

Xoren smiled as he turned to her. "Don't worry Kairi, once I finish, you will finally be able to rest."

"Why… why do you need me?" Kairi gasped. "I don't know anything about a… Dyoxis."

Xoren let out a small laugh as he continued with his work. "Truly amazing is that mental block the Guardians placed on you."

"What mental block?"

"It must have been a powerful one." Xoren continued. "Even with a block, I know I would've had a hard time forgetting about all of those innocent people." Xoren let out another laugh. "But that's just me."


End file.
